Rated 4.5 / 5 stars2009-11-14 17:24:02

Rated 2 / 5 stars2009-11-14 15:25:03

Good game, extremely poor execution.

This game is a solid sequel to the original. It adds a whole slough of valuable and enjoyable features. The problem is that many of these features accentuate shortcomings more than anything else. In addition, the random number generator has zero filters on it and there are many places where those filters are sorely needed.

A list of examples follows:

The addition of upgrades is a very welcome change. However, the lack of any indication of what is available or how to get it leaves a bad taste in the mouth as one attempts to progress through it. In addition, it is very common to acquire an upgrade and then die, thus sending you back in time to before you got it. This leads to way too much confusion concerning which upgrades your character actually has applied to him/her. In short, saving after every "zone clear" is appropriate rather than only allowing it twice per game (see side note at bottom).

The sand worm should not be able to lower my magic power so far that the girl's limit break heals under 200 hp to each player and lucky star actually does negative damage (thus healing the enemy). You want an enemy to be able to apply a debuff that lowers magic power? That's an awesome idea. However, its reapplication should refresh its duration, not stack it on again. At the very least its stacking should be limited to a reasonable amount.

The two hydra heads should not be able to both successfully use their instant death attacks in a single turn. Have both use but only one hit? Fine. Have only one allowed to use per turn? Just as fine. Have them both use and hit? That places the player in a situation that they cannot possibly recover from and is nothing but poor form.

The tank boss can (and did) stun both my players and, while fully debuffed, take my fully buffed players from full hp to zero in those two turns. This is another huge slap in the face.

The money mini game is an unnecessary, awkward and un-fun diversion from game play (especially considering it occurs just after you save rather than just before). If you must include a mini game, at least make it one that tests more than your ability to hack 'n' slash. And, of course, assigning moves (aerial/ranged attack) to a sequence of buttons when there exist dozens of other single buttons that could have been used instead is just plain silly.

The girl still doesn't have an ability akin to the boy's temper. It's a jarring lack and a glaring oversight.

In conclusion: this is a good game with a few too many oversights. Randomness is a part of any good game, but when left to run rampant on its own will turn the best game into an unenjoyable mess. Also, a few key missing points drag the fun factor of this game down more than a few notches.

Side note: it bears mentioning that in the first game, the lack of any kind of save system didn't bother me at all. I died a few times on my progression, but I never felt like there was nothing I could have done differently that wouldn't have circumvented the killing blow. In addition, when I did die, there were no complex series of progressive upgrades lost - i.e. I didn't have to completely rework my strategy to accommodate an entirely new skill set.